Team USA at Road Worlds: Are Powless and Dygert our best hopes for a medal?
The UCI World Road Championships in Glasgow look exceptionally competitive this year, with plenty of big names vying for a chance to wear the rainbow stripes in 2024. The rolling Glasgow course features no significant hills, opening up opportunities for many different riders to go for the win as well as some team tactics.
Powless and McNulty lead the elite men's roster
In the men's elite race on Sunday, August 6, the U.S. brings a seven-rider squad, headlined by Neilson Powless. Powless has shown good form in the one-day races this spring, with a fifth place finish at the Tour of Flanders and seventh at Milan San Remo. More recently, Powless finished fourth at the Clasica San Sebastian and enjoyed a significant stint in the Polka Dot jersey at the Tour de France. The California-native finished in a career-best fifth place at the 2021 World Championships in Belgium, ahead of stars like Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel. Powless looks to be Team USA's best shot at landing on the podium in the road race. With Powless' EF Education-EasyPost teammate Sean Quinn there to help and the rest of a solid roster, we could undoubtedly see the USA fighting for a top spot there.
In the men's elite time trial, the U.S. national TT champion, Brandon McNulty, will compete with previous national champion Lawson Craddock. McNulty has shown himself as a critical domestique on the UAE team this year and has the strength to put down a good time. McNulty landed on the podium at the 2019 U23 World Championship in Harrogate, and he sure would love to return to that podium as an elite rider as well.
Team USA Men's Roster
Will Barta (Boise, Idaho; Movistar Team) – Road Race
Lawson Craddock (Houston; Team BikeExchange-Jayco) – Time Trial & Road Race
Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Team Emirates) – Time Trial
Neilson Powless (Roseville, Calif.; EF Education-EasyPost) – Road Race
Sean Quinn (Sherman Oaks, Calif.; EF Education-EasyPost) – Road Race
Kevin Vermaerke (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; Team DSM) – Road Race
Larry Warbasse (Traverse City, Mich.; AG2R Citroen Team) – Road Race
Team USA has cards to play in the women's races
On the women's elite team, the U.S. brings two standout hopes for a medal in Chloé Dygert (Canyom-SRAM) and Coryn Labecki (Jumbo-Visma).
In addition to a full track racing schedule, where she has already won a title in the Individual Pursuit, Dygert will be racing both the time trial and the road race. Dygert won the time trial in 2019 but since then has been dealing with several severe injuries. The 2023 season has been an incredible comeback season already and the 26-year-old looks to be back in form. Despite her absence these past few season, Dygert will be a force to be reckoned with as she searches to retake the rainbow stripes.
Dygert will be joined by former world tome trial champion, Amber Neben. The 48-year-old free agent is the current Pan-American champion and has finished in the top five multiple times at the World Championship. Thus, she can never be discounted.
If the road race comes down to a sprint, Labecki will be one to watch, though Dygert is certainly no slouch in a fast finish either. Labecki is the current U.S. national criterium champion and with two 10th-place finishes at her last two world championship races, Labecki will undoubtedly be hungry for more.
The Glasgow course provides plenty of opportunities for team tactics, and the U.S. brings quite a dynamic team with several cards to play. In addition to the Labecki and Dygertm experienced riders like Lauren Stephens, Skyler Schneider, Heidi Franz and youngser Megan Jastrab are there to support.
Team USA Women's Roster
Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) – Time Trial & Road Race
Heidi Franz (Seattle, Wash.; DNA Pro Cycling) – Road Race
Megan Jastrab (Apple Valley, Calif.; Team DSM) – Road Race
Coryn Labecki (Tustin, Calif.; Team Jumbo-Visma) – Road Race
Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif.) – Time Trial
Skylar Schneider (Milwaukee, Wis.; L39ion of Los Angeles) – Road Race
Lauren Stephens (Dallas; EF Education-TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) – Time Trial & Road Race
Lily Williams (Tallahassee, Fla.; Human Powered Health) – Road Race
But wait, there's more
Team USA's rising talent
But perhaps our best bet is someone you may not have heard of yet: Andrew "AJ" August in the men’s junior category. The 17-year-old rides for the Hot Tubes Cycling team and will be representing his country in the junior's road race and time trial.
August has been a standout rider this season, which saw him win the brutal Yucaipa stage of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, out-climbing the likes of Tyler Stites, Riley Sheehan and Sergio Henao. August would go on to finish second overall in the prestigious stage race. Redlands is often seen as a launching pad for young domestic talent and to place so highly as a junior is very impressive indeed. He followed up that performance with a commending ride in the junior national time trial race, where he won by over a minute.
August has also had success racing in Europe, taking the victory at the Grand Prix West Bohemia, a UCI 1.1 single-day event, and winning the overall, complemented by two stage wins, at the Ain Bugey Valromy Tour, a prestigious French stage race for juniors. In addition to his road racing success, August is a cyclocross national champion who's won the Koppenburg Cross junior's race and placed fifth in the 2022 world cyclocross championships.
With some serious watts, a proven European racing experience and a strong junior team to support him, August has all the tools he needs for top results in both the time trial and road race in Glasgow.
Team USA's Junior Men's Team
AJ (Andrew) August (Pittsford, N.Y.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team) – Time Trial & Road Race
Luke Fetzer (Laguna Beach, Calif.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team) – Road Race
Henry Neff (Arlington, Va.; Kelly Benefits Strategies Cycling) – Road Race
Darren Parham (Yucaipa, Calif.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team) – Road Race
David Thompson (New Canaan, Conn.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team) – Time Trial & Road Race
How to watch
In the U.S., you can watch the World Championships live stream through FloBikes. A subscription to the service will cost you $149.99 per year.
Be sure to follow Team USA's journey via USA Cycling's social channels: @usacycling on Twitter and on Instagram.
